NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Seton Hall soars, Auburn drops

It appears as though Florida is finally on the verge of hitting its stride. With five wins in their last six games, the Gators are playing at a high level and warrant attention at the back-end of the Top 25 power rankings. While I have not completely bought into the idea that this team has “figured it out”, that is a possibility. Florida has secured solid victories throughout this recent stretch but the most important was a 22-point home stomping of highly-regarded Auburn. That came fresh off a 16-point home win over Ole Miss.

Kerry Blackshear Jr. continues to be the main offensive weapon for the squad but Keyontae Johnson deserves far more national credit than he receives. The small-ball forward has been excellent this season while sitting second on the team in scoring per game. Additionally, Omar Payne had his breakout performance against Auburn as he chipped in 19 points and 11 rebounds. The freshman big man did not miss a shot from the field in the win.

Everybody always knew that Florida had talent this season, especially on the defensive end of the floor. It might have taken longer than many expected in the preseason when the Gators were a Top 10 team, but it feels as though the team is finally starting to click. They are passing the eye test with more regularity and are looking the part of a potential contender in the SEC.

A monster week approaches, though, as Florida will travel to face LSU and then host Baylor.